Saving clock



Jan. 5, 1932. c. SCHULER 1,840,260

Z SAV I N G CLOCK Fi led Jan 6. 1930 Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEMENS SCHULER, OF SCHWENNINGEN-ON-THE-NECKAR, GERMANY SAVING CLOCK Application filed January 6, 1930, Serial No. 418,820, and in Germany March 15, 1929.

This invention relates to a saving clock, that is a clock combined with a saving box. It relates particularly to such a saving clock which can only be set in operation by the insertion of a coin and consequently compels ghelowner of the saving clock to insert a coin According to the invention a free part device is arranged on the saving clock, one part consisting of a brake lever for the clockwork which is engaged when winding the clockwork spring and locks the clockwork until a coin has been inserted, whereas the second part of the device consists of a pawl lever, which catches under the brake lever in braking position and is also disengaged by insertion of a coin, and the third part consists of a locking lever,.which locks the braking lever by engaging thereunder in the event of it be ing endeavoured to disengage the braking lever by inserting along, thin object into the coin channel. 7

The braking lever, which is mounted on the axle of the clockwork driving spring, has a 5 resilient pin on its short arm near the clockwork escapement, the other short arm extending into the coin channel. This lever is swung through a small angle by the friction produced by the pressure spring during the winding rotation of the axle of the clockwork spring so that the resilient spring bears against the escapement. Thus this escapement and consequently the clockwork is locked. The long arm of the lever swings l upwards so that, in order to start the clockwork it is necessary to insert a coin into the coin channel. The'weight of this coin moves the long arm downwards and the short arm away fromthe escapement so that the clockwork is released.

The second part of the device consists of apawl lever which is oscillatably mounted on apin arranged above the long arm of the brakelever. The downwardly directed arm forming the pawl is guided under spring action in a hook-shaped lateral extension of the long arm of the brake lever. The other arm of this pawl lever also projects into the coin channel and serves for engaging with its pawl arm under the hook-shaped projection of the long arm of the brake lever, after it has been swung up. Thus the brake lever cannot be disengaged'by the action of the weight of its long arm or by shaking the clock, but only by the insertion of a coin into the coin channel. When the coin drops onto the second arm of the pawl lever, the pawl arm of this lever is disengaged from the hook extension of the long brake lever arm, releasing the brake lever for disengagement.

The third device consists of a further twoarmed lever, which is mounted laterally at the lower end of the coin channel with a pin extending through the rear wall of the clockwork and rigidly connecting both lever arms. The mouth of the coin channel is covered by the upper end of the arm arranged on the outer side of the rear wall and acted upon by apressure spring. The free end of its arm arranged on the inner side of the rear wall is situated close beside the hook projection of the longer brake lever arm and engages under this hook extension as soon as the outer arm, covering the insertion aperture, is oscillated laterally on an object being inserted. Consequently the brake lever is prevented from being released without the insertion of a coin, for example by introducing a long, thin object into the coin'channel.

These three cooperating arrangements ensure the proper working of the clock and prevent unauthorized tampering therewith.

In order to prevent the releasing arm being oscillated back in an unauthorized manner, for example by an external blow on the saving clock by shaking or the like, the releasing lever, after oscillating into the checking position, is gripped behind its locking extension by the pawl arm of the locking pawl, the disengagement lever of the locking pawl being at the same time oscillated into the coin channel, so that therefore the locking pawl also can be released by the inserted coin. The unauthorized disengagement of the pawl, for example by inserting a long thin article in the coin channel, is prevented in that, owing to the lateral displacement of the lever arm of the third lever covering the coin insertion, the other lever arm of said third lever is oscillated to under the locking Fig. 2.

extension of the releasingarm and thus prevents this arm from oscillating back, if the locking pawl is engaged in unauthorized manner, said releasing arm being held in engagement with the pawl, so as to be again engaged by same from below, as soon as the locking pawl is again not acted upon.

In this manner unauthorized use of the saving clock is reliably prevented and makes it necessary to insert a coininto the saving clock every day. 1

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which :7 i s Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the clock.

Fig.2 is aside elevation withparts broken away, i 1

Big. 3 isa vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line l-l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view along the line 15-5 of Fig. 3 with the casing in section and some of the mechanisms omitted.

The saving clock is arranged in a case 5, which is subdivided by an inserted partition rear wall 6 and an intermediate bottom 7 bent from the rear wall 6 into an upper compartment :8 for the clockwork and a lower compartment 9 serving as money box.

The clockwork is inserted fromthe front of the case 5 through an opening 10 in the front wall and fastened on the intermediate rear wall 6 by means of nuts 11. Behind the rear plate 12 of the clockwork a two armed lever '1516 and a pressure spring 17 are mounted on the winding axle 13 of the clockwork driving spring 14 between two fixed ring discs 18-19. One arm of said-lever is oscillatable so that its resilient pin 20 can come into the range'of the e'scapement 21 of theclockwork, the otherarm 16 being adapted to be oscillated through lateral slots 22 in .a coin channel 23 leading from the coin insertion slot 2 1 in the right upper corner of the intermediate rear wall 6 along the side wall of the lease 5 through the false bottom 7 into the money compartment 9. On this lever arm 16 a locking extension 25, bent back at right angles, is mounted and engages the free end of the pawl arm- 26 ofa locking pawl 2627, which is mounted laterally 'at the top on the rear plate 12 01 the clockwork and isheld under the action of a spring 27 a be tween the lever arm 16 and its locking exten- .sion-25, the other lever arm 27 of the locking pawl 2627 being also adapted to, oscillate towards the right through the slot 22 into theflcoin channel 23 so that it will be situated :above the lever arm 16 of the first lever 151'6; Near the right lower corner of the intermediate rear wall a second double lever 2-829 is mounted, one lever arm 28 of which is arranged on the rear side of the intermediate rear wall 6, the free end 30 of this lever arm 28 chamfered off on the right'side, being oscillated under the action of a pressure spring 31 over the coin insertion slot 24:, whereas the other lever arm 29 of the double lever 28-29 is mounted on the front side of the intermediate rear wall 6 and, on being oscillated in opposition .to the spring 31, when the lever arm '28 is oscillated away from the coin slot, grips with its free end under the locking extension 25 of the upwardly oscillated lever arm 16. The intermediate rear Wall 6 and the lever arm 29 covering the coin slot 2 1 are covered by an external rear wall 32, which is inserted by means of hooks v33 into slots '34 of the rear wall 6 and, similarly to this latter, provided with holes 3.5 for the key and the adjustment of the clock, as also with a coin slot 36 and has on itslower inwardly headed edge downwardly directed flaps 37. The money compartment 9 9 is closed by a plate 3 8, the slots 39 of which are pushed over the flaps 37 and engage with the latch of a lock 40 behind an angle bar ll on the bottom of the case.

The cooperating devices work in the following maner When the clock spring is-wound daily by turning its axle 13 in anti-clockwise :direction, the brake levers 15, 16 arranged with a pressure spring 17 between two discs 18 and v19i's swung throu h a certain angle by friction. Consequently the resilient pin 20 on the :brake arm 15 bears against the escapement '21 of the clockwork thus locking the clockwork during the winding and :the arm 16 of thelorake levers 15, 1.6 projecting into the coin channel 23 is raised, Theshort pawl arm 26 engages through the action of its spring 27a in the hook extension :25 of the long brake lever arm 16 in its uppermost position, so that the brake lever 15, 16 cannot be brought out of its braking position by the weight ofthe long brake lever arm 16 or by shaking the clock. In order to start the clock it is necessary to insert a coin into the coin channel. The coin first drops onto the disengaging-M11127 of the pawl levers 26, 27, releases the pawl arm 26 from the hook extension 25 .of .the'brake lever arm' 16, drops onto the arm 16 and disengages the brake lever arm 15. Consequently the spring pin 20 is swung away from theescapement and the clockwork set inmovement. The owner of the saving clock mighteonceive the idea of disengaging thelevers 15, 16 and 26, 27 by inserting a long, thin object, tor example a knife into the coin channel 23" and thus avoiding the necessity of inserting a coin. However, when inserting such a long, thin object into the coin channel, the necessary swinging out of the lever :28 covering the coin aperture will cause the free end of the is possible to disengage the pawl lever, but not the brake lever by inserting an object into the coin channel. In this manner a tampering with the saving clock is prevented.

I claim 1. A saving clock, comprising in combination a winding axle of the clock, a double lever mounted on said axle ada ted to be carried along by friction by sai axle, a lever arm of said lever directed towards the escapement of the clock, a resilient pin on said lever arm adapted to be oscillated towards the circumference of said escapement, a coin channel, a second lever arm of said double lever adapted to be oscillated through lateral grooves into said coinchannel, a locking device on said last mentioned lever arm and a locking pawl, and a lever adapted to cooperate with said locking device of said lever arm.

2..A saving clock as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the coin channel and the double lever, a locking device composed of a double armed lockingpawl, a locking extension on one of the lever arms of said double lever adapted on the upward oscillation of said lever arm to be engaged by a pawl arm of said locking pawl, a second lever arm of said locking pawl, adapted to project into said coin channel above said lever arm.

3. A saving clock as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the double lever having a locking extension on one arm, a second double lever, an arm of said second lever bevelled on one side of its free end, a

spring acting on said lever arm, a coin slot adapted to be covered by said lever arm, a second arm of said second double lever adapted to engage on oscillation under the lockin extension of one arm of said first mentione double lever, and a spring opposing the oscillation of said second lever arm.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CLEMENS SCHULER. 

